Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers

There was a time when the Rolling Stones could do no wrong. No, it was not the 2006 Super Bowl. I'm talking about the early 70's period, which contained several gems: Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main Street. Of the three, I think Sticky Fingers was the most cohesive and also sports the most homo-erotic cover. The early 70s proved the Stones were capable of holding it together under massive drugs, inter-band arguments, and tremendous fame to release some of their finest material in their catalog. The music, strangely enough, was a rich blending of R&B, bluegrass, and country with splashes of rock. It was a formula that the Black Crowes would base their entire career on. Sticky Fingers contained a few widely known favorites such as the high energy "Brown Sugar," and the tattered and loose, "Wild Horses." But, there were many less known gems such as the passionate album closure: "Moonlight Mile" and the free-flowing, "Sway." Those tunes in particular eclipse the more notable album singles. The six songs in the middle of the album are pretty good fare as well: Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Dead Flowers, and Sister Morphine. Before you write off the Stones completely, it is worth checking out this gem and the single collection "Hot Rocks" as well.